Here's the third episode of the Cafe Hopping in Taiwan series. Today, the third cafe will help to fulfill that little dream of all princesses-to-be.
Taipei - Zhongxiao Fuxing 忠孝复兴 - Victoria Garden
In the heart of Taipei, Victoria Garden is like a fantasy restaurant set in Victorian time. Look at the decor, flowers, paintings, statues, carvings and of course, not forgetting, Victorian style couches.
Perfect for a lazy afternoon tea. Look at the three tier tea sets!
Skip to 1:25 (^_^)
Unfortunately, we did not try the tea sets, as we went there for lunch. The lunch sets was so-so though.
Perhaps the tea set will be better.
Ah... too late we didn't research what are the must-eats for this cafe... The desserts mentioned in the following clip looks so yummy! Drools~
If you would like to have a romantic date or a tai-tai high tea session at Victoria Garden, here's how to get there:
The last trip to Taichung was a rushed one, I only made a day trip to "Little Japan" or otherwise known as 妖怪村, in 溪头 松林町.
This time I managed to spend 2 days in Taichung! :D
How to get there?
You can take a bullet train (High Speed Train, aka HSR) to 台中 Taichung station or the normal railway train to 新乌日 Xinwuri station. Yeah. It's 新乌日 not 台中, so be careful, do not alight at the wrong station.
TIP
Do check out the HSR website for early bird discounts. Foreigners like us can book our tickets in advance, using credit cards. You do not need to create an account to do that. Discounts go up to 65%.
What to see?
If you like Kyoto, you probably like the quaint old towns in Taiwan too.
One such town you must visit is Lukang Historic Town 鹿港老街. It is accessible via the Taiwan tourist bus 台湾好行. But buses come only once an hour, so do plan in advance, in order to maximise your time there.
TIP
鹿港老街 is huge. I spent the entire afternoon there, and I have yet to finish the entire town. Do cater more time for this spot.
It is probably the oldest historic town still in their original state which I have visited thus far in Taiwan, hence, lots of photo opportunities, for those who love taking retro pictures. For those who are interested, I am making comparisons against towns along 平溪线 in Taipei, 大溪老街 in Taoyuan and 安平老街 in Tainan.
Some parts of 鹿港老街 have been renovated and looked like other suburb towns, especially areas near the bus stops. Hence take your time to explore and find the quaint forgotten corners of 鹿港老街.
One of the famous spots of 鹿港老街 is the 摸乳巷. *Shy* Why such an interesting name? This is to express how narrow the alley is. It is so narrow that when two people pass, they can't avoid touching each other.
Another spot is the 半边井. Mmm.. Why is it only half a well left?
Actually, it's not that only half of it is left. The other half is inside the compounds of the house, at the other side of the wall. There is a story behind this well. This well belongs to this wealthy family. In order to show goodwill towards their neighbours, they share their source of water with their poorer neighbours.
Unfortunately, the well is no longer in use now. Well.. we do have tap water now.
There are many temples in 鹿港老街. One of which, that left a deep impression on me is the Longshan Temple 龙山寺.
There is also one in Taipei, which is very accessible, just next to a same namesake MRT station.
If you like temples, do visit this other temple at 八卦山. You can see the Big Buddha 大佛.
You can climb up the Big Buddha (Yes, it's hollow) and get a bird's eye view of Changhua 彰化。
You can take the same 台湾好行 bus to 八卦山 from 鹿港老街 and vice versa.
If you like theme "park", do give 妖怪村, in 溪头 松林町 a try.
What to do?
If you are a student, you will probably be very interested in this activity.
In Taichung, there are two consecutive stations, which became famous due to their names. One is called 追分, the other is called 成功. Together it's called 追分成功, which meant achieving excellence in studies, hence students would come and take the train (only one line runs along these two stations) from 追分 to 成功 stations.
Look at the number of students~
TIP
Remember to buy the ticket at the counter, to get this special edition ticket. Some people do keep it as a lucky charm!
What to buy?
Need souvenirs? Find some at 宫原眼科. Nope, it's not a typo. It's really an optician shop. Well, a defunct one. Now it operates as a gift shop with a cafe.
The souvenirs here are all very nicely packaged. I dare say, probably one of the best in Taiwan. Somehow they remind me of the souvenirs in Japan, too.
They sell snacks like pineapple tarts, cookies, etc. After packaging, doesn't it look like a book?
The shop looks like a Harry Potter library (the main draw for me~ Photo time!)
What to eat?
What's Taiwan without night markets? The same goes for Taichung.
This round, I went to Fengjia Night Market 逢甲夜市.
My highly recommended this 全國大腿排. It's special because, after deep-frying, they will also grill it. Hence, it is very crispy. I think with the seasoning and all, it rivals the 浩大鸡排 at 士林夜市.
Where to stay?
Located in the heart of Taichung (literally, as it is only about 5-10min walk away from the Taichung railway station), Cityinn Taichung is a great pitstop for travellers.
It is very new, I think they just started this year, if I am not wrong. Hence, all the fixtures and furniture are all sparking new.
For some floors, they work with artists to give each floor an unique identity. Mine is sheep in space. (^_^)
This is the smallest room that they have.
I liked their idea of having metal fixtures on ceiling for us to hang our clothes instead of space consuming cabinets. Everything seems pretty compact. The only drawback is probably the space. It is kinda of small. But then, this is the smallest room, so.. probably that's why.
The theme is lime green. Lovely... since my favourite colour is green. :D
Very well packed bathroom amenities. They have everything. Including comb, shaver, etc. Very clean and neat.
And they offer breakfast buffet at B1 in the morning, too.
TIP
The human figurine is for you to reserve your table as you "shop" for morning buffet.
If you have time to spare, you can venture to Xinshe or Dakeng, where they have flower farms and onsen. Next time then, for me.
Nestled near the Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station, is the two-storey home of Hello Kitty themed desserts. Decorated in kawaii pink, everywhere in the cafe including the toilet, closely matches the Hello Kitty theme. It's very common to see tourists, like us (opps~), who go wild taking pictures in this two-storey cafe.
There are quite a number of couch seats, and in several different designs too. :)
There are lunch options besides desserts. But of course, the desserts look more appetizing to us. The sets range around TWD300+, which includes a dessert (cake with decor and sides like macrons) and a drink.
You can watch the staff prepare the desserts at level 1 too.
Taste-wise, mmm.. truthfully, it's alright, passable, but not exactly that fantastic.
But the draw of the cafe is Hello Kitty and the ambiance, so it's alright. Definitely, a place that I would want to visit, at least once.
So for all Hello Kitty fans.. or fans who are drawn to kawaii characters (like me!), here's the address:
TIP
According to the official website, you should exit from Exit 3 when you reach Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT Station. But from my practical experience, exit 15 is actually nearer.
Not interested in Hello Kitty Cafe? Try these other cafes in Taiwan instead:
Tired after a day of shopping? Would like to have a change of palate, no more night market today? Then this series is just right for you.
I will be sharing about the 5 cafes which I have visited this winter. A nice option to recharge in the midst of shopping and sightseeing while in Taiwan.
And the first cafe is....
Taipei - Da-an 大安区：院子咖啡 Yard Cafe
I spotted this cafe online, while I was doing research over where to lunch nearby when I was visiting my friend in Taipei. Captivated by the resident cat (a really chubby tom cat) and the pictures of the mouthwatering apple pie with vanilla ice-cream, we hurried to the cafe once it opened at 11am. Yeah. We were their first customers for the day!
The resident cat. (A more flattering picture~)
My favourites of the day: Tiramisu Latte and Apple Pie. You must order them when you visit! Strongly recommended!
Drools~ Besides food, the decor at the cafe puts one at ease. Very comfortable, cozy setting. Especially on a rainy afternoon in Taipei. What's better than lazing around in a cafe with a hot Tiramisu Latte, and some cat-watching. :P
Very close to the Da-an Forest Park (which is just minutes away from the Da-an MRT station), do give it a try next time when you are in the vicinity: 院子咖啡
台北市大安區建國南路二段193號1樓
Drawn by the segment on 小镇风情 Quaint (a travelogue programme by Mediacorp; remember to fast forward to 17:45), I decided to squeeze in a day-trip to Taichung 台中 just to visit 溪头 松林町 妖怪村.
Like a little amusement park, set in the olden streets of Japan, 妖怪村 is shrouded in a cloud of mystical stories. Almost in unison with its theme, on the day of our visit, it was a very misty, foggy day.
Misty road ahead...
The mist adds mystery to these fictitious characters though
I love the witty copywriting for the park and its amenities.
Even the "Beware! Road is slippery warning." is so witty!
And of course all shops and their products follow the theme - 妖怪 (loosely translated as monsters) aptly.
黑心店？！原来是卖竹筒饭的。Phew...
You will often see the below sign mentioning "枯麻 kuma". What is 枯麻? Actually 枯麻 is referring to kuma, which means 熊 in Japanese. Bears. Beware of bears. This is because this village is near the mountainous areas and is often frequented by bears in the past. Since the village is set up by the Japanese, hence the direct "katanization" of the Japanese nouns by the Taiwanese to retain the Japanese flavour.
What to do?
There are lots to do: shop, eat, watch 3D movies, watch the daily show by the mascots, enjoy the live music performance of pop music...
Live band performing in the middle of the square
Make a wish
Post a postcard
What to eat?
Try the 竹筒饭 (glutinous rice in bamboo) sold by the 黑心店. There are 3 flavours:
Charcoal
Vegetarian
Standard
I love the normal one the most.
Oh ya, like all Japanese towns, there is always a speciality food or flavour in the region. For 妖怪村, the speciality flavour is charcoal. So, there is charcoal flavoured 竹筒饭, ice cream etc. I didn't try ice-cream though, as it was quite chilly that day. But it is definitely a hot favourite amongst the locals.
Next, you probably can't miss this super long queue outside the bakery 久保田.
Once their pastries are ready, they will start selling outside the bakery.
Chao Shao Pastry 叉烧酥. Very yummy! The crust is very tasty. Must try!
My brother loved the egg tarts. He ate 2 and even asked me to buy a third one. Unfortunately, it was sold out so I only managed to buy the 叉烧酥. Hence, I think you have to try the egg tart if you have the chance!
But for their bread, they only have fixed hours to sell from: 10.30am and 2.30pm.
Especially for their speciality, 咬人猫面包, each customer can only buy the maximum of 2.
Joining the queue for 1hr, and this is my queue number. Note that if you lose the card, you wouldn't get to buy any :(
Mmm.. so what's my verdict after the 1hr queue? I didn't think the 咬人猫面包 (creamy bacon and corn filling) was very special though. But I liked their 咬人猫 Madeleine. It has this special fruity taste. Very special, very delicious.
Oh, and btw, though we are number 23 in the queue, the Milk Toast 牛奶土司 is also sold out! So maybe you can try that too, and let me know how it taste.
Here's a video segment covered by a Taiwanese programme. They tried the restaurant too which we didn't:
Btw, the restaurant which was shown in the above video is a eat-all-you-can buffet restaurant. Prices are a bit steep for our family of 4, so we skipped it :P We munched on street food instead.
